Thursday, September 23, 2010

It's often asked, "What's in a name?" For Portland-based electro-popples, Starfucker, a lot. They quickly found the name was less amusing to national club promoters than it was to local kids putting on house shows. Worse, they found out another band in Europe had beat them to the name, which was unfortunate, since they were starting to gather a following.

So on the road and under pressure to come up with something, they changed it to Pyramid. But there was already a band called Pyramid as well, so they added a second "d" making their name Pyramidd. The same promoters who lamented their dirty name were now quick to put it in parentheses next to the new name, so that they could sell tickets to a band people wanted to see rather than cajole them into taking a chance on an unknown.

But it turns out the double-d wasn't enough, legally, to differentiate them: Pyramidd (formerly Starf@#$er), was sued. Unhappy with the new name anyhow, they changed it back to Starfucker, and entered into litigation with the European Starfucker for the name.

And with all that going on, it was often understated how good the band was. They nailed down the perfect combination of dreamy soundscapes and high-energy shows, a winning combination that will be hitting Neurolux tonight.

So what's in a name? Go see for yourself. The show starts at 8 p.m. and costs $10.